Tiffany & Co. (TIF) has had an interesting trading day. With a little over two hours to go before the end of the session, shares are off by 1.1% to $60.26. Earlier this morning, the stock was at a higher level. TheFly says there was some speculation about the jewelry retailer being a potential acquisition candidate. I'm not sure if the company will be acquired or not, but I enjoyed reading a bit of good news on the fundamental front.

According to the Associated Press, Tiffany experienced an 8% rise in same-store sales for the months of November and December (this stat is adjusted to take into account changes in exchange rates). Also, the net-income outlook for the full fiscal year has been upgraded: the new range of between $2.83 and $2.88 replaces the old range of between $2.72 and $2.77.

Continue reading Tiffany Trading Lower: Buy or Sell?

Tiffany Trading Lower: Buy or Sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tiffany Shares Take a Hit Following Q2 Results

Tiffany Shares Take a Hit Following Q2 Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tiffany Down In Afternoon Trading: Buying Opportunity?

Tiffany Down In Afternoon Trading: Buying Opportunity? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading No Retail Slump for Coach: Third Quarter Earnings Jump 39%

No Retail Slump for Coach: Third Quarter Earnings Jump 39% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tiffany Quadruples Earnings But Misses Analyst Estimates

Tiffany Quadruples Earnings But Misses Analyst Estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview for Tiffany & Co.

Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview for Tiffany & Co. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading PhoCusWright Sees Hotel Industry Strength in Latin America

PhoCusWright Sees Hotel Industry Strength in Latin America originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coach Inc. (COH) is one of those plays that makes you smile, due to its sweet-spot market position, and it goes without saying that I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on April 13, 2009, at a price of $18.22.

If you bought COH in April 2009, you're up an impressive 90%. If you didn't, don't fret: there's more upside ahead with Coach.

Continue reading Coach: Back Up the Truck

Coach: Back Up the Truck originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first estimates for the holiday shopping season have come in. MasterCard (MA) Advisors unit SpendingPulse, which tracks retail spending, puts the result at a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. This includes all form of payment and does not factor in gas and auto sales. The increase comes relative to the 2008 holiday season, which was the worst season in decades for retailers thanks to the global financial crisis.

Says Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research at SpendingPulse, "Last year the economy and consumer spending were in free fall. This year we're talking about an environment that has stabilized, that has seen a leveling off." But, that doesn't mean it's turned the corner yet. Holiday spending isn't enough to cure what ails us.

Continue reading Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online

Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Williams-Sonoma: A high-end retail play

Williams-Sonoma: A high-end retail play originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Upscale shoppers aren't doing enough for Saks (SKS) this holiday season. The luxury retailer, which has been struggling with sales for the past two years, is moving into less expensive products as a way to bring customers in the door, even though it's putting its brand at risk. If the wealthy continue to stay at home, Saks will have to look for revenue where it hasn't had to play in the past.

Brand experts, according to a Reuters report, don't think it's a good idea for Saks to stray from its traditional area of expertise. Pushing lower-priced items and using gift cards and coupons to bring people inside -- not to mention discounting -- could cost the company in the long term. Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, told Reuters, "All these tactics erode the halo effect of a luxury brand."

Continue reading Saks ponders discounts and cheaper lines to counter plummeting sales

Saks ponders discounts and cheaper lines to counter plummeting sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MasterCard Advisors (NYSE: MA) service SpendingPulse says luxury and electronics sales headed upward last month, in a pleasant deviation from what became the norm all too long ago. A few other product categories posted gains as well - showing stability, if not a recovery. But, at this stage of the game, we'll take what we can get, right?

Luxury sales, not including jewelry, gained 3.4% year-over-year - that's an increase of $891 million. Last September, luxury goods suffered a 9.4% decline. Yet, this category is still below its September 2005 level of $94 million. Jewelry sales gained 1.2% relative to last year, compared to a year-over-year decline of 5.8% a year ago. Compared to apparel sales, this is a profound turn. In September 2008, the clothing category was off 5.7%, and this September, it was down only 2.9%.

Continue reading Luxury spending on the rise

Luxury spending on the rise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bain & Co., a leading consulting firm, estimates that luxury goods sales will fall 20% in the first half of 2009 before stabilizing in the second half. In all, Bain expects luxury goods sales will fall 10% for the year. In October, Bain was forecasting a drop of just 7%, but conditions have deteriorated quite a bit since then.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that "The U.S., which accounts for roughly a third of luxury-goods sales, is one of the worst-hit markets. Bain expects U.S. sales of high-end clothing, accessories, tableware, cosmetics and jewelry will drop by 15% this year. That compares to expected sales declines of about 10% in both Europe and Japan."

Continue reading Luxury sales to fall 20% in first half of 2009

Luxury sales to fall 20% in first half of 2009 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tiffany & Co. proves that luxury isn't a buy in this economy (or is it?) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) has a little unit that looks at consumer spending every month. The view from there is pretty ugly.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "MasterCard SpendingPulse says luxury sales dropped 20% in October from a year earlier." Put another way, the rich are getting poor. Spending on all goods costing more than $1,000 dropped considerably.

The rich are supposed to be able to keep a little money on hand for the holidays. In all likelihood that money was in the stock market. Or, some of the people who drive BMWs lost their jobs as Wall Street has downsized.

What do the numbers say about the middle class and poor? One can guess, that with personal income running flat to down, they will not even be able to buy coal to put in their stockings this holiday.

Santa may as well stay at the North Pole.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Mastercard looks at spending and sees huge hole originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) provides some sweet relief originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retailers ditch higher-end fashion plans originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 May 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Will Coach be hurt by economic woes? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The rapidly developing economies led by China, India and Russia, are making the folks at jeweler Cartier salivate with even grander plans to promote themselves as the world's premier jewelers. They have unveiled bobbles and bangles suitable only for the super wealthy. In the past, this might have been the territory of the U.S., Western Europe, Japan and the Middle East. But the game has changed.

Cartier is not the first luxury house to look east. A Japanese or Chinese aesthetic has starred in collections from Giorgio Armani to Aquascutum, while the craze for embroidery and pattern filling runways owes a debt to India. ... The reasoning is clear: the wealth of the world's richest people -- who have at least $1 billion ready to invest -- rose to $32.7 trillion last year, up 11.4 percent, with China and India leading the way, the latest Merrill Lynch Cap Gemini World Wealth Report showed.

Continue reading Cartier glitters over Chinese, Indian & Russian wealth

Cartier glitters over Chinese, Indian & Russian wealth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's a sad tale. According to a piece in today's New York Times, hedge fund managers and private equity titans aren't spending big for palatial mansions like they did just a few months ago.

The problem? The threat of increased taxation on private equity could mean a sharp decline in paydays. In addition, hedge funds have provided lackluster returns of late and there is a growing realization that the enormous fees make it very difficult for most to outperform the market.

The recent draw-downs have shaken the confidence of some managers: When your fund is trailing the market, you might feel weird going out and buying a $70 million penthouse. Even though they're still fabulously rich, their confidence and swagger is gone: it's a psychological thing.

Some large funds even have psychologists/psychiatrists there to help their traders/managers!

Hedge fund honchos get cheap originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.